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Suggestions for Harvesting Suggestions for Harvesting High Quality HayHigh Quality Hayg Q y yg Q y y

Ryan PearcyKuhn North America •• Kuhn is the Worlds Largest Kuhn is the Worlds Largest Manufacturer of Manufacturer of

HaytoolsHaytools. Including Disc Mowers, Mower . Including Disc Mowers, Mower Conditioners, Conditioners, TeddersTedders, Rotary Rakes, and , Rotary Rakes, and Wheel Rakes.Wheel Rakes.

Hay Tools Production Factories

KUHN SAVERNEKUHN SAVERNE

KUHN NORTH AMERICAKUHN NORTH AMERICA

••Inventor of Rotary “Disc” Mowers Inventor of Rotary “Disc” Mowers ••Inventor of Rotary RakesInventor of Rotary Rakes••Inventor of Rotary Inventor of Rotary TeddersTedders KRAUSE

What Makes High Quality Hay?– Like many things in life… the details

• Crop, fertilizer, and timing of the cut are of course importantcourse important.

– From the standpoint of the grower - what practices he employs when harvesting tend to be the most easily controlled.

What Is High Quality Hay?– Like many things in life… depends on your

point of view.

High quality forage provides necessary– High quality forage provides necessary roughage but does not limit energy uptake.

– Sugars and nutrients are what is needed –fiber content… not so much!

– In lean times below average can become supreme quality.

What method of putting up hay is the best?

– Whatever fits your operation and whatever method fits your personal outlookmethod fits your personal outlook.

• Dry Hay • “Wet” Hay - Baleage• Haylage

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Is a Mower Conditioner the only option?

• Should you always go wide or go home?– Generally YES!!! but not always.

• Rain (or water) damage can be the worst thing for quality, especially once cut.

• However sometimes you must be bold especially in legumes.

DM at ensiling

Hrs of Drying

Wide 44.6 29 hrs

Narrow 43.5 55 hrs

Alfalfa Cutting 1 (May 3-5,2006)

Alfalfa Cutting 2 (June 12-14,2006)

Day 1: 82 F sunnyDay 2: 85 F sunnyDay 3: 84 F mixed

DM at ensiling Hrs of Drying

Wide 48.5 6 hrs

Narrow 46.9 25 hrs

Alfalfa Cutting 3 (July 17-18,2006)

DM at ensiling Hrs of Drying

Wide 45 28 hrs

Narrow 44.7 40 hrs

Day 1: 80 F cloudy (no drying)Day 2: 86 F sunny

Day 1: 96 F sunnyDay 2: 97 F sunny

• Is a disc mower the cause of high Ash Content in crop?

– If it is of bad design or incorrectly used YES!!!YES!!!

– So are a lot of other things.– Ash is unavoidable, but should be

controlled to limit soil ingestion.

Cutterbar Profiles

X Y

The thicker cutterbar the more foreword angle is required to achieve the same cutting height.

X

Finger (Impeller) Conditioning

Typical crops– Fescues, field grass, Timothy, – Costal, Bermuda, Kline grass– Bermuda, and Bahaia grass– Mixed alfalfa & grass, – Mixed grass crops

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Impeller Conditioners

Adjustments must be made as conditions change!

1.1. CropCrop2.2. SpeedSpeed3.3. VolumeVolume

Roller Conditioning

• Typical crops– Alfalfa, Clover,– Very tall or cane type grasses

• Johnson grass, Grazer• Sudax & Sudan Grass• Heavy Rye Grass over 4’

Roller Conditioning Roller Conditioning

• Roll Gap Adjustment

Roller Conditioning

• Roll Timing

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FC – Roller Conditioning

• Roll Pressure

To Tedd or not to Tedd – There is no question.

Tedding Speed 6.4mph (10.3kmh)

2.7mph (4.3kmh)

Quality of workGood

% of Crop 7%

% of Crop43%

Forward Speed & Tedding

Research from: Landwirtschaftskammer Wesser Ems, Dr. H. H. Kowalewsky (Ag Research Facility in Germany)

GoodAverage

Poor

7% 36%42%

43% 25%32%

Time (hours) 6.6 3.8

Capacity Per hour @ 4 MPH– GF13002 42’8” DIN 4 mph = 20 acres/hour– GF17002 56’5” DIN 4 mph = 27 acres/hour

SIZE VS TIMESIZE VS TIME

The capacity in acres per hour tedded is not as important as the numbers of hours available for hay to dry after tedding!

100 acres with a 28’ tedder is nearly an 8 hour job!

Does Size Matter - Practically

10’

How Much Does Size Matter- Practically

10’10’

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Tedding Angle Flat Steep

Rotor Pitch Angle

Good TeddingMiddle “Poor “

14% of crop46%39%

29% of crop39%32%

Drying rate 1.33% 1.98%

Time to dry 7 hours 4.7 hours

Research from: Landwirtschaftskammer Wesser Ems, Dr. H. H. Kowalewsky (Ag Research Facility in Germany)

Considering Rake Characteristics

Rotary Parallel BarWheel Merger

Overall Raking Capacity

Overall Raking Quality

Dirt & Stones in the windrow

Terrain handling Ability

Maximum Raking Speed

G tl C H dliGentle Crop Handling

Windrow Formation

Silage Hay

High Moisture Hay

Dry Hay

Most Favorable

Good Fair Least Favorable

Corn Stalks NA

Retail Price ($)

Wheel Rakes

– General Benefits• Simple ground driven design require smaller tractors and a

low horsepower requirement.• No matching PTO speed to Ground speed for straightforward

operation.• Economical operation and initial cost.

C t f il l t t l• Component failure replacement costs are low.

Rotary Rakes

• General benefits– Rotary rakes can gather the widest range of wet and dry crops providing

exceptional versatility.– Rotary Rake Advantages vs. Wheel Rakes:

• Ability to rake large amounts of heavy wet hay• Raking that is gentle and produces uniform “fluffy” windrows which

promote drying and better bale formation.• Tines do not normally contact the soil minimizing crop contamination• Reduced damage to crop stubble promotes regrowth

Rotary Rakes Mergers

• General benefits– Will pickup and carry the largest amounts of hay forage and

carry over the greatest distances with the least contamination– Pickup tines do not normally contact the ground, less chances of

picking up dirt, stones, or debris– When large amounts of crop are combined over a significant

distance an un-roped windrow is produced.p p

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Dry Hay vs Baleage

• Dry Hay– More Marketable– Lower transportation

cost– Less Equipment needed

• Baleage– Less Weather risk– Less storage losses– Better Feed Quality

• Highest density possible– slow down in high yield crops– Use crop cutter

• Bale shape– avoid cones

Baling

• Use additives when needed

• Round vs Square– Makes no difference in quality

If Putting Up Dry If Putting Up Wet

CUT!!!CUT!!!

Moisture and Baleage

• 25% or Less Dry Hay• 25-35% Little fermentation (feed quickly) (inoculants)• 35-45% Some fermentation - requires more plastic• 45-55% Sweet spot ideal for Baleage• 55-65% Plenty of fermentation (less ideal)y ( )• 65% or Higher Danger “Botulism”

• Wrap ASAP– Max. 2 hours in order

to reduce crop exposure to air

• Shorter aerobic phase

Wrap and Stack

Shorter aerobic phase keeps temperature lower

• Move bales ASAP– Max. 2 hours to keep

from disturbing the silage process

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• Level ground – No sharp objects– Avoid mice and rat habitats

• Transport bales ASAP to storage location – Avoid disrupting the internal process

• Stacking height depends on bale stability– one layer: 70 % or more Bale moisture

Storage site

– two layers: 60-70% – three layers: 60% or less Use high density bales

IN THE END… IN THE END…

Quality Forages are Essential for Top Production.